NAIDOC Week is coming up very soon and it is a very special week for Kuuwa, and we wanted to share with you why it is so important to us.
What is NAIDOC Week?
NAIDOC Week is celebrated annually on the first full week of July across Australia. It’s a week when Australia celebrates Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples, cultures and communities and recognises the valuable contributions that Indigenous people make to our country.
It is an opportunity to celebrate the history, culture and achievements of the first Australians with the wider community. Indigenous and non-indigenous people come together at events all around the country where those interested can learn more about Indigenous culture.
History of NAIDOC
NAIDOC stands for ‘National Aborigines and Islanders Day Observance Committee’, adapted from NADOC in 1991 to include Torres Strait Islanders. The committee was formed in Sydney on Australia Day, 1938, when a group of approximately 100 Aboriginal people gathered for the first Day of Mourning, as a protest against the treatment of their people. Today, NAIDOC is a celebration of history and has since been extended from one day to a week.
2019 NAIDOC Week Theme
VOICE. TREATY. TRUTH.
2019 is the United Nations International Year of Indigenous Languages and with that in mind this year’s NAIDOC theme focuses on the Indigenous voice of this country which is over 65,000 years old.
Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people want their voice to be heard as it should be. First Nations were once excluded from Constitutional debates when they were first enforced in the 1800s.
How can you celebrate NAIDOC Week?
This part is easy! There are NAIDOC celebrations happening all around the country from the 7th to 14th July. Head to the NAIDOC Week website for a full list of events. There are 55 listed in Western Australia alone so there is bound to be one near you.